Manmade and Melancholy
by RoseThorns13
Summary: Cesare runs off and becomes the roommate of Adam Frankenstein.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: A random crossover ship because both of these sad boys are among my fav characters.** C **esare/Adam Frankenstein(Das Cabinet De Doktor Caligari/Frankenstein). Slow burn, btw.**

Cesare ran away, away from Caligari, away from the madman and his control.

He ran underneath a pale yellow moon, the night dark and shadows twisted, with nothing but a bag containing food and water. He ran away from the village, the asylum, the cabinet. That cabinet that he'd slept in for years, like a vampire in its coffin.

Minutes, hours, maybe a night later, he saw a small hut up ahead. It was a simply constructed ramshackle hut. But it was still shelter. He knocked on the tall door.

The man who answered was grotesque. Yellow-green skin, with veins showing clearly and stitches connecting the large muscular body together, with long black hair and green eyes like malachite.

"Yes?" His accent was a strange mix of Swiss, German and French.

Cesare, taken aback, gaped. "I need shelter for the night. May I stay here? I have nowhere else to go."

The man gave him a look of scrutiny, a look that quickly passed. "Of course. Come in."

Cesare entered, setting down his bag by a hand carved table. The rest of the hut contained a small stone oven, a cot, and one chair.

"Please take the cot, I'll sleep on the floor."

"No, I don't mind sharing. It is your house, you should sleep in your own bed."

"I appreciate your kindness."

The two men retired and fell asleep on the cot, Cesare positioned like a mummy, Adam flat on his stomach.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Enjoy!**

The next morning, the two men sat on the ground eating a simple breakfast of mushrooms.

"If I may ask, why are you here?" Adam said.

"It was because… " Cesare just let the sentence hang there.

"No, you don't have to tell me, not if it affects you like this. I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. You did let me in."

"And you didn't shun me. Even though you were frightened by me."

"I was surprised, but that's no reason to shun someone."

"You are better than most humans."

"You don't consider yourself human, uh. .?"

"It's Adam. And not really. I'm a monster made of corpse bits reanimated by an arrogant man. That's not human, that's an abomination of God."

"You're living in a house, you have shown me kindness. That's human, Adam. And you are human, just a reanimated one."

"I never asked your name, and I apologize. What is it?'

"Cesare."

"Cesare. A lovely name."

"Adam's nice too."

"Where do you plan to go?"

"I don't know. I don't know this area, I've been in a narcoleptic state of sleeping walking and sleep since my birth."

"Well, then stay here. I'll help you."

"You'd do that?"

"Yes."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N:

Adam took Cesare on a walk, showing him the forest close by and his makeshift garden. The forest was stark and gothic, with its long delicate branches and sparse vegetation. The garden was small but full of life.

"This place is beautiful." Cesare picked a dandelion, smiling a little.

"Yes indeed."

"How did you find this place?"

"I traveled for days across Germany. I don't know where I started from nor where I am now. But I am happier here." He smiled, picking a radish out of the garden.

"So am I." Cesare smiled wider, a little spark of contentment in his dark eyes.

That night, Cesare was slumbering while Adam was nodding off. Then Cesare began to speak.

"No . . Master. . .No! How are you doing this?" He began to contort, his hands wrapping around Adam's neck, squeezing.

Adam tore the hands off his neck and shook the pale man awake. "Wake up! What's going on?!"

Cesare awoke, his pale face going even paler.

"What-"

"Cesare what happened? You began speaking and tried to kill me!"

"Oh God. . .let me explain. . ."

"Yes, please. That's it. Tell me."

Cesare took a shaky breath. "I have always been a somnambulist. Dr. Caligari, he imitated the Italian mystic Caligari, using me to murder. He controlled me, hypnotized me. I was only able to escape by the confrontation of Dr. Caligari and a another man, who had learned the truth. . ." He crumpled up into Adam's arms, quiet sobs arising.

"Shit, I'm sorry, but I can't not tell you. I killed too."

"What?"

"Yes. Only I wasn't forced to. I chose to kill them. They were the relatives and the friend of my creator. I wanted to hurt him like he did when he just abandoned me."

Cesare stiffened.

"I don't blame you. That was horrible, and I understand if you hate me now."

"I. . . can understand revenge. I have wanted to kill Caligari, but unlike you I have not the courage."

"You don't hate me?"

"No! I'm confused and angry but not hateful towards you!"

"Good."

They embraced, trembling and emotional, until when they woke up, in each other's arms in the morning.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Wanted to do a thing kinda exploring Adam's sad body image. Also, I use an excerpt of H. P Lovecraft's "The Tree". Also I promise Cesare/Adam fluff soon. I'm trying to do a slowburn here.**

Reading a collection of scary short stories, Adam narrated the chilling tales aloud while Cesare listened and idly played with Adam's long hair.

". . . saying over and over again, _Oida! Oida! - I know! I know!_ " Adam lay the pulp magazine down. "That wasn't scary so much as it was tragic and fantastical."

"I agree." Cesare brushed aside the mass of hair, observing the patched up neck. Connected to Adam's body via a mass of thick black stitches, and with two bolts, one on each side. What had been once a grotesque sight was now a normalized thing of odd beauty.

"Cesare?"

"Yes?"

"You went quiet."

"I'm just fascinated by these stitches."

"Hideous aren't they?"

"No. They're strange but rather nice."

"Liar."

"Never!"

"Don't humor me, I know I'm ugly."

"No, you just have a distinct, very gothic look."

"My countenance is of Satan himself and this body is a patchwork of damnation, you mean."

"No. Not at all!"

"You have a nice face. I have a stolen flesh mask forced upon this skull."

"You should've seen Caligari. One look at that face, and you;ll never bemoan your looks again."

"Is he that hideous?"

"Yes. But mostly because he is such a maniacal power hungry manipulator. That makes his face the more hideous, that this arrogant man can and will control others."

"Victor seems almost benevolent by comparison."

"Well he's a wretched ass too."

"Accurate."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Skinny dipping just because. Enjoy.**

On a warm day, Cesare and Adam went to a little river close by their hut. Though neither were good swimmers, at most the water went up to their thighs, so they figured they'd be fine.

Adam immediately stripped and flopped onto the river, bobbing, then floating on his back. Cesare joined, tentatively stepping in.

They relaxed, idly splashing or tried to catch the little fish and frogs in the river. A few hours passed, bright and hazy and lovely.

Eventually both got out and had a nap in the sun, before putting their clothes back on.

They went back to their hut, where they sat and talked.

"What would you want most?" Cesare asked.

"I want romance, true love."

"So do I."

"I always thought I'd only desire maidens, but i have come to realize that. . . I desire both women and men."

". . .So do I."

"You understand!" He smiled, clasping Cesare's hands in his. "I thought I was alone!"

"Not at all."

Adam tried to kiss Cesare but just bumped his face against his awkwardly. It took both of them some seconds to finally kiss, a hesitant soft kiss. It was warm and like the brush of the wings of a delicate moth on lambskin.

"Oh God. . ." Adam muttered.

"Fuck that!" Cesare replied.

They kissed some more, going no further. There was no need when this was enough of the bliss they had craved, for now.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Short but sweet. I tried but this is the last chapter. It was fun trying to write a more long term project, but I'm gonna need a lot more practice. I'll try to do more long term/ambitious stuff soon.**

"Do you believe in soulmates?" Cesare asked one day.

"It's hard to tell. I always thought I'd die alone but then you came here."

"I understand."

"Do you believe in soulmates?"

"Not really, but I think that you're the closet to a soulmate I'll ever have."

"I feel the same way, dear."


End file.
